Pelosi adviser among Biden’s nominees for SEC commissioner slots

President Joe Biden plans to nominate a top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a long-time Securities and Exchange Commission staffer to fill two top slots at the regulator, the White House said Wednesday.

Jaime Lizarraga, a senior adviser to Pelosi, would take over for departing Democratic Commissioner Allison Herren Lee.

Mark Uyeda, who has spent a chunk of his career at the SEC and is currently on detail to the Senate Banking Committee, would fill an open Republican seat on the five-person commission. 

Both picks require Senate approval.

If confirmed, Lizarraga and Uyeda would join the SEC at a time when Chair Gary Gensler is pushing to tighten regulations on Wall Street traders, hedge fund managers and crypto firms.

The agency last month also proposed requiring businesses to outline the risks a warming planet poses to their operations when they file registration statements, annual reports or other documents.